The online edition of the Telegraph reports that Israeli daily Maariv says US Secretary of State John Kerry’s eagerly awaited framework plan for final status talks will include recognition of Israel as a characteristically Jewish state, a condition vehemently opposed by the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership. The framework plan will also reportedly include support for small-scale land swaps to help determine final borders. Kerry will apparently present his plan to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to the United States next month.

The Guardian online includes a report on a new song released by Israeli singer Amir Benayoun, which warns listeners that US President Barack Obama will be responsible for giving Jerusalem to the Palestinians under a peace agreement. However, the report comments that the issue of Jerusalem has not yet been tackled during peace talks.

The Times, Guardian, Daily Express and City AM all report that Prime Minister David Cameron has cancelled a planned visit to Israel next week, due to the prospect of yet more flooding across southern England which demands his urgent and immediate attention.

The Telegraph business section includes an article which says that Israeli tech firms are increasingly keen to list on the London stock exchange. Apparently, six Israeli companies are in discussions over listing in London this year, including digital advertising company Matomy, which will value at around £200m to £300m.

The Guardian online says that rallies in Iran to mark the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution included a significant flavour of protest against the six-month nuclear deal agreed between Tehran and the international community in November. The Financial Times says hardline forces in Iran are strengthening against President Rouhani.

The Guardian online reports that United Nations (UN) negotiator Lakhdar Brahimi said yesterday that peace talks in Geneva between Assad government officials and opposition representatives are not making much progress. However, the Telegraph online says that a small number of opposition military leaders have joined the talks. In Syria itself, the Guardian online says that the UN and aid agencies are scrambling to evacuate residents of Homs before the agreed temporary ceasefire ends.

The Guardian covers a Human Rights Watch report which says that more than 200,000 Eritreans fled their homes since 2004, many making their way towards Israel. However, hundreds were enslaved in torture camps in Sudan and Egypt en route to the Israeli border.

In the Israeli media, the proposed universal draft bill, which would significantly increase the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox seminary students, continues to make headlines. Writing in Maariv, Shalom Yerushalmi comments on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s relative quiet on the issue. He writes, “Netanyahu does not want to fight with the ultra-Orthodox, so he is not speaking.  He doesn’t want to fight with [Finance Minister and Yesh Atid leader] Yair Lapid, so he is keeping silent.”

The top story though continues to be the industrial dispute at the Hadassah Hospitals in Jerusalem, with staff facing huge cuts as the hospitals find themselves in dire financial straits. Yediot Ahronot says Hadassah is “collapsing,” while Maariv says nurses, maintenance and administrative workers have joined the work slow-down and Israel Hayom reports that staff have stepped up action and are now operating an emergency, rather than a weekend service.

Maariv and Haaretz give prominence to a Supreme Court ruling yesterday in favour of new municipal elections in both Nazareth and Beit Shemesh, due to discrepancies and irregularities in October’s original vote. The ruling is viewed as a victory in Beit Shemesh for mayoral challenger Eli Cohen, who disputed the slim election win of Shas incumbent Moshe Abutbul. The new poll in Beit Shemesh will likely raise tensions between the city’s ultra-Orthodox community and other residents with the election viewed by many as a vote to determine the future character of the city.